book reviews
Mr. William W. Johnstone are you done turning in your grave?
I was so excited to see that my favorite author, who I had written to and had much communication, was having his family re-release all of his books.
I have all of these books, somewhere, but have rebought many on my Nook.
And whomever edited for ebook release needs to be shot.
I started reading Sweet Dreams, a book he wrote in the 80’s, and sent me an autographed copy of, and the spelling errors are horrible. I fear that the family is so intent on making money, that they are not paying attention to the quality of his work.
I was a 13 year old girl who read his books, and literally wrote him a letter. I received many letters back, and autographed books. But the fact that they would re-publish his work, so fast and haphazardly, is really sad.
He stopped writing the horror books I loved as a teen, and started writing westerns. But he always replied to my letters, and encouraged me to write, and never give up.
Good gracious, I would edit these ebooks for free rather than see the crap they are putting out.
Mr. Johnstone, thank you for being kind to a teenager, and encouraging me.
Share this:
Bittersweet Dreams – VC Andrews
Okay, I have to say I got sucked into this book just like I would get sucked into any VC Andrews’ book when I started reading them 30+ years ago.
Mayfair Cummings is a 16 year old with an IQ that would make Albert Einstein jealous. She had the perfect family life, until her mother died from an aneurysm. Her father got remarried, and she suddenly had a step-mother and a step-sister.
I like to avoid spoilers, but this is the standard fare that you expect from VC Andrew novels. It is full of suspense, and I definitely had it read in record time.
Now; about the grammatical errors. There were a few, and they were too ridiculous to even ignore. Nothing frustrates me more than spelling and grammatical errors in a book I spent good money on.
I’m just going to give you one example, and it is a single sentence. Although I am not including the sentences before or after it, this sentence is not going to be misunderstood because you don’t have those sentences with it. This is a sentence that was meant to stand alone, and make sense.
Chapter 5, Page 81
I have this tendency to compare Julie to animals often.
That’s it. That one sentence. Maybe I am being too picky, but there are so many other correct ways that sentence could have been constructed. There are a few of these poorly written sentences throughout the story.
With all of that said, I will definitely be reading some more VC Andrew books that I have not read before.
Share this:
The Last Anniversary – Liane Moriarty
I really enjoyed this book by Liane, and I believe it is her third story I have read. The first one I did not care for, the second one I loved, and I definitely liked this one.
I am still trying to get a feel for her style of writing, and it is not something I have been able to pinpoint yet. I do not get that familiar feeling I have from other authors who have multiple books that I have read. Her style of writing seems to change with each book, but I do not think it is done intentionally to help set the tone of the story.
So after all of that complaining, I really did like this story. I promise! I did have the initial problem of keeping all of the characters straight, because there were several, and they all seemed to be introduced very quickly, and very briefly. This does seem to be her method-of-operation when it comes to writing.
A small island with a small population and a big mystery seem to be the only thing keeping some of the characters going. Introduce a new person to the mix, and see what begins to happen. It seems that everyone knows everybody else, and there are some long-stretched ties connecting basically every single resident to everyone else. It can make things familiar, and also very interesting. You would think in this type of environment there would be no secrets. It seems as if every resident has secrets falling out of their ears, they have so many.
Without giving away any spoilers, this is definitely a book full of suspense, mystery, laughs, and some romance. It is a page turner, and I think you will be glad to have read it!
Share this:
The Truth About Books
Share this:
What I’m Reading…
…college books. On information systems. 4 1/2 more weeks of this class, and then I have Human Resource Management starting the day after this ends. Going to college online means I do not get one single day off. But I have been squeezing in some reading-for-pleasure, so I have some great book reviews coming soon.
What books are you enjoying right now?
Share this:
Eve – Wm. Paul Young
I was anxious to get started on this book, as I have made it a habit to read “The Shack” pretty much once a year. I was aware this book would be different. Not just in the story line, but in the style it was written, and how I reacted, and interacted, with it.
Yes; I do interact with the stories I read. In the manner of when I do not have said book in my hands, reading, I still think about it throughout the day. The characters, the plot, what I could be missing, and what I do not understand, or have just not figured out yet.
It did take me a couple chapters to really get into the story, and understand what exactly it was I was reading about. I knew from the book jacket that Lilly was a girl who washed up on a beach on an island between worlds. Lilly being from Earth, and the place where she landed, never really named.
There are many characters in this story, and they each seem to have a very important role within the story. While this is a retelling of creation and how we, man, all came to be, you will see that while it holds true to what you will read in Genesis (the first book of the Old Testament in the Bible), it gives you another insight into how it really all could have happened.
As you read it, you can see it. You may be a bit confused, but yet you understand it. It all makes sense, in the grand scheme of things. Lilly is a Watcher, and although it takes her quite some time to accept the fact that maybe she really isn’t useless, you can certainly sympathize with her and feel the true pain of her mind, body, and soul.
For further information about this book, visit: Wm. Paul Young – Eve
Have you tackled this story yet? Did you love it, or absolutely despise it?
Share this:
Being a Book Geek…
…is a wonderful thing! 
Share this:
Sherlock – Martin Fido
The full title is Sherlock: The Facts and Fiction Behind the World’s Most Famous Detective.
I really wanted to love this book. I tried so hard to love this. But I could not. I am still up-in-the-air on if I even liked it. I liked the pictures from the original books, and the images from the movies and television shows from past to present.
I liked the back story on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and even some history about each of the major players in Sherlock’s life.
I cannot describe exactly what it was that made this story so difficult to read. It was almost written as if Mr. Doyle never existed; everyone talked about were real people; and I really could not distinguish the real Sherlock stories from the fiction that was added.
I know I am tired; but I will never be that tired…
Share this:
Mr. Tumnus is Finished…Feeling Like Some 221b Baker Street Next!
Sorry for the glare, the ointment gives a nice reflection. Waiting a few weeks and then bringing in the Sherlock Holmes ink I want done so they can draw it up for me.
On another note, I have many, many book reviews coming up. Stay Tuned!
booksandopinions.com 